Summer with Good News
good news weekly 05.16.25
Hey Neighbors,
I have been reflecting all year on an upcoming milestone birthday, thinking about who I want to be in the next chapter. Thinking less about things to accomplish, I have been thinking more about the character I want to form. I don’t just want to grow older, I want to go deeper with God and the people I care about. As a person who defaults to action, prayer has often been a challenge for me. I believe in prayer, I just struggle to linger in it.
The move to three services on Sundays and the addition of Monday service has been a blessing. The church has grown numerically and we have some wonderful new people among us. But I wish we could be more together and connected. I want to hold on to the connected feeling I love so much about our church. As our team has prayed, some of these personal themes seem to fit for our church too.
We are going to work on community + prayer together this summer:
We are going to do some Neighbor Sundays June 8, July 27, and August 24. We will have 1 service at Cutting Hall (same place we did Easter) at 10a, with an outdoor neighbor brunch to follow. This will allow space to connect with each other informally and do important things like baptism and member meetings together, in a space we can (lord willing) all fit. All kids will meet down the street at the Good News building on these Sundays.
We are also introducing the Palatine Prayer Club for a 10-week trial run.
Starting June 11, we will be meeting each Wednesday, 10a + 7p at our building and 12p on zoom. I want to challenge you to take a step forward in this way. Many people feel unsure or awkward about an environment like this, which is understandable, but this is not a place I want us to stay. Come every week, come once, come as you are able, but participate with us.
Each identical hour will include 20 min of conversation, 20 min of teaching, and 20 min to pray together. We have some wonderful people in our church who have gained significant maturity in prayer and their heart is to help us move forward together.
The Palatine Prayer Club will be utilizing some material from Pete Greig,
A book — How to Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People
Some teaching — https://prayercourse.org/home/
You don’t have to sign-up, just mark your calendar and show up.
We are believing for a great summer, text me anytime if you need a prayer or help, 847-321-1770
See below for other important updates from our staff and leaders.
Pastor Luke
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Good News Kids
Kristen + Cassie
This Summer, we are going to teach the elementary kids the Books of the Bible instead of our monthly Bible verse! We will spend June working on the Old Testament books and July working on the New Testament books of the Bible! These songs will be a HUGE help in learning all 66 books! If you are a parent and don't know the order of the books of the Bible, that's ok! I learned when my kids were little, feel empowered to learn something new alongside your kids which will help you navigate your Bible as you continue to learn and grow!
Move up weekend is June 8, if your child is going into Kindergarten they will move downstairs, if they are in 6th grade they will move up to Teen Crew!
Don’t Miss Kids Camp, June 23-26th, 6-8p. It is a fun week filled with music, games, food, and the love of Jesus for children 3-11.
Teen Crew
Dom Gaskin
Lately I’ve been thinking about how intentional and individualized Jesus’ ministry was. He met people in need exactly where they are, and left the 99 for 1. This summer, that is what we hope to do with Teen Crew. We are providing opportunities to make sure everyone feels like they have a place in the crew!
Starting with Move Up weekend on June 8th, we are splitting our middle school and high school lessons for the entire month to ensure new teens get acclimated to a more age appropriate norm. We will also offer a girls’ only Bible study every Wednesday 6/25- 7/16 at 10a! (all of those boys on Grad Sunday should explain why…as the teens say, IYKYK).
Stay tuned for more info about our first youth night 6/20, and registration is now open for our first summer retreat 7/24-27 in Port Washington, Wisconsin! We are grateful for the growth of our crew and hope this summer will present opportunities for everyone to stay connected and grow boldly in their faith.
Outreach
Kristian Murray
There are some wonderful ways to serve our community this summer. Our summer truck outings will begin on Wednesday May 21st. The truck will go out every Wednesday + Friday from 6:00-8:00pm.
We received a grant this winter that allowed us to bring a wonderful young man from our church, Andrew Peña to spend this summer leading the charge on our weekly ice cream outreach. Sign up to serve, it’s a great time!
We are also continuing our Second Saturday outreach events and Family Sponsorship Program. Reach out to me if you would like to learn more.
Finances / Operations
Deacons, Tim Moylan, Philip Mathew, Kristi Castaneda, Jillyann McMorris, Caro Polo, Louvain Lakasi, and Peter Klyachenko
In the first third of the year, we completed a resurfacing of the parking lot, are nearing completion on a complete overhaul of the front stairs, and worked with Kristian developing the Family Sponsorship Program.
We are grateful to report being 1% underspent on our budget YTD while our giving is tracking significantly ahead of budget. We are working hard to plan well for our future together. We have asked the staff to look for an associate minister to steward the people God has brought us well, please be in prayer as we search.
All of this to say, we are excited for the summer, we pray you’ll get involved and let’s see all God does
… please visit gnn.churchcenter.com for sign-ups and details.